Problem: Balance the following chemical equation: $ $ $\text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3 \rightarrow$ $\text{N}_2\text{O} +$ $\text{H}_2\text{O}$
Solution: There are $2 \text{ N}$ on the right and $2$ on the left, so $\text{N}$ is already balanced. There are $4 \text{ H}$ on the left and only $2$ on the right, so multiply $\text{H}_2\text{O}$ by ${2}$ $ \text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3 \rightarrow \text{N}_2\text{O} + {2}\text{H}_2\text{O} $ There are $3 \text{ O}$ on the right and $3$ on the left, so $\text{O}$ is already balanced. The balanced equation is: $ \text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3 \rightarrow \text{N}_2\text{O} + 2\text{H}_2\text{O} $